Dungeons and Dragons – Wild Shape

This is something akin to a life post, since it’s neither review nor convention/cosplay update, but also not since I’m not really going to go into any life details.

I’ve been playing DnD 5E with a group of local friends since early Spring and it’s been pretty wonderful to get back into it. The last time I’d been playing, 5th Edition had JUST started coming out, and if I recall, we started when the DM Guide wasn’t even available yet. I was playing a Trickster Domain Cleric that I absolutely loved, and I’ve got this wonderful backstory built out for her. But real life happens, and eventually the campaign came to a halt and didn’t get picked back up. I still want to write more of her story, and maybe bring her to another campaign, but this time I wanted to try something completely new.

In nearly all role playing games, I tend to play as roguish characters. I like to strike fast and use ~subterfuge~ and pick locks and all that jazz. I didn’t go entirely out of my comfort zone, which would have me playing something closer to a warrior (so slow!), but instead went for something a little more on the magical side. I’ve been playing a Druid, and it’s been a challenge, but one I’ve been enjoying.

All of this is just an extremely roundabout way to say that I’d been having trouble remembering to use my Wild Shape, and then found that the available resources for what beasts I can turn into, what my restrictions are, and anything else I might need are all over the place. There are a handful of beasts in the Player Handbook, but the more comprehensive list is in the Monster Manual. I hate having to lug books around (which is why I got an app for my spells), so I decided to put everything together myself.

In conclusion, I’ve made a Wild Shape guide for Druids in 5E DND. It has the basic limitations and when certain abilities unlock, the size categories, beasts organized by size and then name (up to CR 1), and then the Circle of the Moon-specific guidelines at the end with the beasts over CR 1 (so if you chose Circle of the Land, you can just not print those pages). It’s a little hefty, at 21 pages total, but unless I’ve totally missed something, it’s everything you might need. If I have missed something, or there’s a glaring error (I am only human and typed most of this up by hand), please let me know and I’ll update it promptly!